Uniting Croatian descendants in Patagonia

Patagonia

Croats in Patagonia, the southernmost region of Argentina, are looking for people of Croatian origin there to join the recently founded group “Croatas en la Patagonia”, which intends to become an association.

I want them to know we exist and join us, founder Adriana Curin told the local newspaper El Chubut. Curin, whose grandfather was a Croat, lived for 17 years in the capital, Buenos Aires, where there are Croatian associations.

When she returned to the Patagonian city of Puerto Madryn, she saw that there weren’t any there.

When I settled down, I thought that I could encourage the establishment of an association, she said in that coastal city with about 100,000 inhabitants.

I know that there are many people of Croatian origin here because their surnames end in CH (Ć), she added.

Curin started writing to residents of other towns in Patagonia such as Cipoletti, Esquel, Gaiman and Rawson so now there are many more people in the group.

Patagonia

The Crljen family ensured that a street in the south of Madryin was named “Croatia”. The town was founded in 1865 when a Welsh ship anchored there. There is therefore an association of Welshmen, and also of Italians.

Croats also started coming there in the 19th century in search of work and a better life. Curin, in addition to talking to local newspapers, also visits other institutions there to point to her action, but also to register the association.

One of the motives for establishing the association is to spread information about the possibility of obtaining Croatian citizenship, which is granted at the embassy in Buenos Aires.

About 300,000 descendants of Croat immigrants live in Argentina, according to the Croatian Embassy in Argentina.